HEAT
Military abbreviation · Weapon and Military Equipment
| Stands for | High-explosive anti-tank |
|---|---|
| Categories | Military |
HEAT stands for High-explosive anti-tank, a weapon and military equipment abbreviation.
Warhead using a shaped charge that focuses a jet of metal through armor, effective regardless of the projectile's speed. RPG grenades, many anti-tank missiles and some tank rounds use HEAT warheads.
Example: The HEAT round left a pencil-sized hole through the armor plate.
Usage notes
The shaped-charge principle is known as the Munroe effect. Reactive armor, slat cages and composite armor were developed to defeat HEAT. A related British round, HESH (high-explosive squash head), flattens against armor and causes spalling inside.
Related abbreviations
More weapon and military equipment abbreviations
- FMJ – Full metal jacket
- FPV – First-person view drone
- GBU – Guided bomb unit
- GMLRS – Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System
- HARM – High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile
- HE – High explosive
- HGV – Hypersonic glide vehicle
- HIMARS – High Mobility Artillery Rocket System
- HMMWV – High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle
- ICBM – Intercontinental ballistic missile
- IFV – Infantry fighting vehicle
- IOTV – Improved Outer Tactical Vest